The Usual Suspects, like The Sixth Sense, is so more than a ‘twist’ film. Nonetheless that is what both films have become known for in the decade and more since they were released.
The Usual Suspects starts with a police line up, after which 5 very different guys stew in a cell, chatting enough to realise that the one thing that they do have in common is that they are all master criminals in their own right.
Once this fact is identified, it is only a matter of time before they realise that when combined they have all the requisite skills to pull of a job of their own.
Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) is the high profile ‘big fish’ of the bunch, who may or may not be going straight.
McManus (Stephen Baldwin) is the roguish hothead prone to rash decisions.
Fenster (Benicio Del Toro) is McManus’ irreverent partner, with an often indecipherable accent and a disdain for authority.
Hockney (Kevin Pollack) is good with his hands and quick with his wit.
Which leaves Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), who narrates the film’s events indirectly while being interrogated by Detective Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri), the investigating officer who has been tracking Keaton for years.
Verbal is soft spoken, but constantly speaking, the unlikely brains behind the quintet’s few jobs that lead up to a seemingly botched operation that left many dead and a large cargo vessel aflame.
Kujan’s line of questioning directs the storyline, but Verbal’s especially detailed and rambling accounts – interspersed with scenes showing the events as they occurred – are what provides the entertainment and compelling events within. It seems Verbal has a story about nothing and everything at the same time.
As Verbal tells his version of the tale Kujan and other cops all unanimously find their eyes open wide at the repeated mention of a name; Keyser Soze, a mysterious man that depending on the storyteller is either the most fiendish supervillain in the world, a man capable of astonishing violence who is behind acts of crime worldwide, or a myth. A bogeyman to scare the weak minded.
The intricate tale is full of action and humour, with the banter between the five ‘Usuals’ and even Verbal and Kujan especially amusing. Featuring deep fried Hungarians and white Japanese lawyers, here is a film unlike any big blockbuster in many years, made all the more worthy of merit when you eventually twig to the real facts behind the story.
Facts which despite being common knowledge for over a decade I won’t divulge here.
In reality while Spacey got the kudos all five leads were especially good in their roles – yes, even a Baldwin, with Del Toro stealing scenes as you wondered what the hell he was talking about, and Peter Postlethwaite appeared as a liaison between the group and their next job.
The Usual Suspects is the best of both worlds, an intelligent thriller with twists and turns that provides greater rewards for those who remain attentive, and a funny quick moving action flick for those that lack the attention span for such things.
It was a special film then and hasn’t been bested since.
Final Rating – 8.5 / 10. Does Keyser Soze exist? You’ll have a good time finding out.
